Does the internet prevent us from flexing our creative muscles?
You’re asked to come up with creative ideas for a meeting about a new project. For many of us, our first instinct is to search online to see what ideas are already out there. But is Google getting in the way of a good brainstorming session? A research team from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the United States recommends avoiding the internet because it holds back creativity in brainstorming. Their study findings were published in the journal ‘Memory & Cognition’(opens in new window).
Letting the imagination run wild
“The internet isn’t making us dumb, but we may be using it in ways that aren’t helpful,” commented lead author Daniel Oppenheimer, professor at CMU’s Department of Social and Decision Sciences, in a news release(opens in new window). Nearly 250 participants were asked to generate new ways to use a shield or an umbrella – two common objects – either with or without accessing the internet. They could access Google search in some experiments, but not use a search engine in others. The researchers based the trials on the fact that an online search could find many different uses for umbrellas, but not for shields. Results showed that the groups with access to Google came up with fewer new ideas. They also thought up other ideas similar to those generated by the internet. These groups weren’t able to present new ideas for umbrellas, most likely because their thinking was limited by the plethora of search engine suggestions. However, they were more creative with the shields because of much fewer pre-existing ideas. The groups with no access to a search engine were much more creative and used their imagination in producing ideas. The study claims that ‘fixation effects’ might be the reason the internet stifles creativity. This is when a person gets fixed on a particular mental set and isn’t able to think of new or different answers or solutions to a problem. “This study is the first evidence of fixation effects being induced by internet search,” stated Oppenheimer.
Putting pen to paper
Google now uses AI features such as AI Overview to improve search results and user experience. However, there’s still much potential for growth and improvement. “Many of us are sort of rethinking what our relationships with technology are like,” explained study co-author Mark Patterson, assistant teaching professor at CMU’s Department of Social and Decision Sciences. “It feels like every week there’s some sort of mind-blowing new advance, and I think one interpretation of our paper is a reminder about the important advantages that we have just as regular people trying to solve problems.” He elaborated further: “Even though it sounds like the kind of messaging you might get from your preschool teacher. Like, ‘You’re you, and you’re different and you’re unique.’ That messaging actually does matter. We want to hold on to our individuality and our regular, un-tech-aided humanity, because it’s the thing that’s going to make us solve problems slightly differently than other people, and that can really be valuable.” The authors advise to do some old-fashioned brainstorming before relying on the internet. “Our hope is that by studying how human thought interacts with technology use, we can figure out ways to glean the best of the internet while minimizing the negative consequences,” concluded Patterson.